Oxer Wines Kalamity 2024Kalamity 2024

Oxer Wines Kalamity 2024 is a prestigious red from Rioja Alavesa, Spain, created by acclaimed winemaker Oxer Bastegieta. It stands out for its sustainable farming and minimalist winemaking, reflecting the unique character of the area's old vines.

The Wine AdvocateRP 99Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The 2024 Kalamity red was produced in 2014 from a field blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Viura and Garnacha Blanca from very old vines in Elvillar, Laguardia and Camprovín, picked relatively early to avoid excess alcohol and keep the acidity. The grapes were partly destemmed, partly crushed and partly fermented as whole bunches in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts, with two to three weeks of maceration. The wine aged in 600-litre oak barrels for 10 months. It shows restrained ripeness, 13.5% alcohol and a balanced pH of 3.5.

There's subtlety and elegance here, with lots of complexity; it's perfumed, elegant and harmonious. Notes of flowers, wild herbs and some spice appear, all very well integrated. I think harmony is the word that defines this vintage. There are abundant fine-grained, silky tannins and delicate acidity. This wine should age for a long time, as there's great balance and harmony between all its components. 3,200 bottles were filled in September 2025.

For Oxer Bastegieta, 2024 is an excellent vintage, fresher and with a finer structure than 2023. He seeks to emulate the old tradition of co-planting and wines with character and freedom. There's a new red from Maturana Tinta, but it's always made, as he says, “my way”, with much lower alcohol and, surprisingly, no pyrazines. He looks for texture and freshness, which for him come from cover crops, compost, soil microbiology and so on. He seeks cleanliness, agility and precision in the wines.

He has a co-planted keyline vineyard, with 1.5 hectares in San Vicente de la Sonsierra (La Rad, at 600 metres, on very chalky soils) and 1.5 hectares in Leza, at 700 metres, which he describes as his legacy for the future.

2025 was a year marked by mildew, and there will only be Kalamity, as many of the crus won't be made. He's exploring Garnacha from Camprovín and Badarán, and believes this grape will play a much bigger role in Rioja's future. Kalamity 2025 should be almost 70% Garnacha.

He currently sells 50% of his production in Spain and exports the rest. He makes 65,000 bottles in total, including his Txakoli wines.

Published: 12 March 2026.